February 23, 2016

I had never tasted Chili till I landed on the shores of the United States. Once I joined 'corporate America', it was impossible to dodge the annual Chili Cook-Offs and I began pottering around with this recipe & that. And though for many years I made a decent Chili by no means would I call it a great Chili and we'd often devour bowls of it on many a snowy cold nights with an equally mediocre corn bread.

Then inspiration struck out of the blue and quite unexpectedly as it often does. I was reading an article about Mark Miller - for those of you have been following the blog, you know that he is a source of great inspiration to me when it comes to Mexican & Southwestern cuisines & I admire the man immensely for his many contributions. Well, there was a mention of how he created a signature Chili at the Coyote Cafe using venison meat. And that fueled in me a desire to make a Chili using a variety of meats & Chiles.

Having taken an interest in southwestern cooking, I have been reading more and more about Chiles and if there is one thing I am learning is that unlike Indian cooking where chillies are used for heat, Mexican and New Mexico Chiles are used not only for heat but for there incredible smoky flavors & scents that is characteristic in good southwestern cooking.

I must thank the state of Virginia & 'Pesky Pete' for the use of beer in my recipe. I used to work with this guy and if you know Virginians then you know that most of the men here take great pride in their meat, their beer & their chili. Now let me tell you, I like 'Pesky Pete'- he was and I'm sure is still a nice guy. Except that he often spoke with great conviction about things he knew very little about.

For example one day, he started arguing with me about Gandhi - now most people would probably stop a second & think - wait a minute this girl's of Indian hesritage so maybe, just maybe she does know a wee bit more about Gandhi than I do - not'Pesky Pete' he began arguing with me that Gandhi's first name is 'Mahatma' - Between laughter, exasperation & anger I tried to convince him that 'Mahatma' was the title given to Gandhi which mean 'Great Soul - entomology of the word - Maha - Great, atma - soul hence 'Great soul' but his real name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

The guy wasn't buying it!

Which is why I call him 'Pesky Pete'. Now 'Pesky Pete' may not know his Gandhi but he sure knows his Chili and it was he who told me to start cooking my Chili in beer & beef stock. So for that, I will always be eternally grateful to him. Also the addition of black beans instead of pinto or kidney gives this Chili that unique southwestern flair.

With such great inspirations, I must confess that I now make a darn good Chili and won an award at a Chili Cook-Off at my husband's firm...yea!!!! (please picture me gleefully clapping my hands together like a little girl in pig tails)

So here goes - Southwestern Chili :Warning - Not for those souls who define 'spicy' as a dash of pepper! Now, I don't consider this Chili hot but lets just say - it has a spine!

Cumin seeds & Mexican Oregano - Combine the 2 spices. In a non-stick roasting pan, on medium heat saute for less than a minute. As soon as the scent of the spices fills the air, take off the heat & empty into a bowl. Cool for a few minutes. In a coffee grinder, grind to a fine powder.

Chipotle chiles- Open the can and with kitchen shears roughly chop straight into the can. Set aside.

Tomatoes - Wash & chop. Set aside.

In a large heavy bottom pan or skillet, warm the bacon fat over medium heat. As soon as it is hot, add the chopped onions. Saute for about 20 minutes or until the onions are soft but not brown.Stir regularly.

Add the chopped garlic & jalapeno peppers from the chopper & saute for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, while the onions are being cooked, In a large cast iron pan or dutch oven add the meat (drain in a sieve to remove excess moisture) & the salt and saute the meat till it is no longer pick & raw looking but brown. Break the chunks up as best you can with a metal spoon & stir often. Saute for about 20-25 minutes.

Empty out the onion mixture into the meat & add the chipotle chiles, New Mexico Chile powder, cumin & oregano powders. Stir until well blended.

To the meat, add the entire bottle of the beer, entire carton of the beef stock (about 4 cups), all of the tomatoes & the tomato paste.

Open the can of black beans & place in a sieve. Run under water till all the canned liquid runs off. Add the black beans and simmer for another 1 hour. Cook's Note - Those beans are black beans but they went from black to brown when I rinsed them out! How bizarre!

To remove the excess fat that collects on the surface, use a large metal spoon or a ladle & spoon out all the excess fat into a cup. Then skim the surface with 2 kitchen paper towels to absorb the remaining fat floating on the surface.

Doesn't that look fabulous?

Now to the bit where I differ slightly to the Bill Cosby episode (you thought I'd forgotten ya?) I have found the secret to great Chili isn't just in how long you cook it - its also how long you let it steep before you serve it. Ideally cook at least 5 hours before serving. The day before is even better. This allows all the wonderful flavors to mature & season. As long as the heat is under it, its not getting a chance to mature no matter how long you cook it for. And that, Mr. Cosby is my humble opinion.

Serve with delicious Honey corn muffins. These are coming up soon - in fact so good are these lovelies that I'm switching my dinner rolls for these this Thanksgiving.

Ladle the Chili into large bowls & garnish with finely chopped red onion & a dollop of Sour cream or Mexican crema.

The smoky flavors in the Chili is incredible & the flavors from the Chipotle chiles & the Chorizo absolutely takes it to another level. I really don't want to brag but this just might be the Chili you, your family & friends may be discussing for a long time to come. So definitely give it a try & no cheating - every one of these ingredients is needed or it isn't going to work!

For our International readers, you can buy Mexican ingredients at a local Mexican store or an online store such as thisfor Australia or thisfor the UK.

Cumin seeds & Mexican Oregano - Combine the 2 spices. In a non-stick roasting pan, on medium heat saute for less than a minute. As soon as the scent of the spices fills the air, take off the heat & empty into a bowl. Cool for a few minutes. In a coffee grinder, grind to a fine powder.

Chipotle chiles- Open the can and with kitchen shears roughly chop straight into the can. Set the can aside.

Tomatoes - Wash & chop. Set aside.

Cooking method -

In a large heavy bottom pan or skillet, warm the bacon fat over medium heat. As soon as it is hot, add the chopped onions. Saute for about 20 minutes or until the onions are soft but not brown.Stir regularly.

Add the chopped garlic & jalapeno peppers from the chopper & saute for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, while the onions are being cooked, In a large cast iron pan or dutch oven add the meat (drain in a sieve to remove excess moisture) & the salt and saute the meat till it is no longer pick & raw looking but brown. Break the chunks up as best you can with a metal spoon & stir often. Saute for about 20-25 minutes.

Empty out the onion mixture into the meat & add the chipotle chiles, New Mexico Chile powder, cumin & oregano powders. Stir until well blended.

To the meat, add the entire bottle of the beer, entire carton of the beef stock (about 4 cups), all of the tomatoes & the tomato paste.

Open the can of black beans & place in a sieve. Run under water till all the canned liquid runs off. Add the black beans and simmer for another 1 hour.

To remove the excess fat that collects on the surface, use a large metal spoon or a ladle & spoon out all the excess fat into a cup. Then skim the surface with 2 kitchen paper towels to absorb the remaining fat floating on the surface.